Orthopedic appliance



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORTHOPEDIC APPLIANCE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

Application filed June 22, 1920. Serial No. 390,705.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, Fnnnnnrox THOMAS TANNER, a subject of George V, Kingof Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 35 Tamworth road, Croydon, inthe county of Surrey, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in or Relating to Orthopedic Appliances, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to surgicalinstruments to be used for orthopedic purposes, and refers particularlyto that class of instruments de signed for the cure or relief ofbunions.

One object of the invention is to provide an instrument that can be wornwhen the user is also wearing a boot or shoe without causing materialinconvenience.

According to the present invention such an instrument comprises a rigidbar of such dimensions that it will extend, preferably somewhatobliquely, from near the middle of the instep over the top of the footand longitudinally alongto near the end of the great toe, the forwardend of the bar being shaped to lie flat between the great toe and theadjacent toe, combined with means, resilient or otherwise, to hold thebar in position, as for example by holding the ends of the bar closelyto the foot and the great toe respectively.

Preferably the bar is so shaped as to con form to the arch of the instepwhen it lies over that portion of the latter which slopes downwardlytoward the outer edge of the foot.

A preferred construction of instrument according to the presentinvention will be how described, by Way of example, wlth the aid of theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows an elevation of a footwith the instrument applied, looking from the inner side of the foot.

Fig. 2 is a plan Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows the instrument by 1tself n the position it assumes whenapplied as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 is a plan of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line V-V of Fig. 6 is a section on the lineVI--VI of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 7 is a section on the line VIL-VII of Fig. 3.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several figures ofthe drawings. The instrument, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2, 3 and 4,comprises a narrow rigid .metal bar 1, enlarged as at 2 at one end andslightly curved in cross-section as shown in Fig. 5. The curvature issuch that the enlarged end will fit comfortably the curve of the innerside of the great toe. In its length the bar is curved or shaped in sucha manner that the enlarged portion will fit snugly between the great toeand the adjacent toe and also so that the bar, as a whole, will liesmoothly and comfortably over the curve of the instep in the mannershown in Fi s. 1 and 2, extending from the inner side of the great toeto a position near the top of the instep and slightly on the outer sidethereof.

Thus the enlarged end should bear against the great toe near or in theregion of its outer extremity and is steadied on or strapped to the toeby means of an elastic band 3 which is of such size as to embrace thetoe without undue pressure, and is secured to the extremity 2.

At its other end the bar has secured to it a large elastic band 4 whichis designed to embrace the foot. The tendency of the band 4 is to forcethat end of the bar to which it is secured down the outward slope of theinstep and at the same time to swing the bar more obliquely across thefoot and force the end of the great toe outwardly. The in strument maybe fitted to the foot of the wearer and the tendency of the bar at alltimes is to exert outward pressure on the toe.

The section of the bar adjacent the enlarged end 2 is oval as shown inFig. 6 and has its greater dimensions disposed vertically above theinstep. Toward the other end the bar is flattened gradually to thesection shown in Fig. 7 and near the inner end lies flat on the instep.

The bar is convenlently covered with rubher or other soft material forthe comfort of the wearer. Such an instrument occupies little room andis effective in its curative properties whether or not a boot or otherfoot-wear is worn at the same time.

It is obvious that many modifications may be made in details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit'of the invention, and itwill be understood that where the bar of the instrument has beendescribed as rigid it may, in some cases, only be rigid to the extentnecessary to exert the desired pressure on the toe.

I claim i 1. An instrument of the kind described comprising incombination a rigid bar of such length and so formed as to extend fromnear the middle of the instep over and longitudinally along the top ofthe foot to near the outer end of the great toe, said bar being shapedat its forward end to lie flat between the great toe and the next, andmeans to hold thebar in position on the foot and to-tend to force theinner end down the'outer slope of the instep, for the purpose described.

2. An instrument of the kind described comprising in combination a rigidbar of such length as to extend from near the middle of the instep overand longitudinally along the top of the foot to near the outer end ofthe great toe, said bar being curved so as to conform to the curve ofthe instep when it lies mainly over that portion of the instep slopingtowardthe outer edge of the foot, and shaped at its forward end to lieflat between the great toe and the next; and means to hold the bar inposition on the foot and to tend to force the inner end down the outerslope of the instep for the purpose described.

3. An instrument of the kind described comprising in combination a rigidbar of such length and so formed as to extend from near the highestpoint of the arch of the instep over the top of the foot to near theouter end of the great toe, said bar being shaped at its forward end tolie flat between the great toe and the next, and means to hold the barin position on the foot and to tend to force the inner end down theouter scribed.

slope of the instep, for the purpose de- 4. An instrument of the kinddescribed comprising in combination a rigid bar of such length and soformed as to extend from near the middle of the instep over the top ofthe foot to near the outer end of the great toe, said bar being shapedat its forward end to lie flat between the great too and the next, and ayielding band to hold the inner end of the bar to the instep, for thepurpose described.

5. An instrument of the kind described comprising in combination a rigidbar of such length and so formed as to extend from near the highestpoint of the arch of the instep over the top of the foot to near theouter end of the great toe, said bar being cnlarged at its outer end andcurved so as to bear smoothly against the inner surface of the great toenear its extremity, and means to hold the bar in position on the footand to tend to force the inner end of the bar down the outer slope ofthe instep, for the purpose described.

6. An instrument of the kind described comprising in combination a rigidbar of such length and so formed as to extend from near the middle ofthe instep over the top of the foot to near the end of the great toe,said bar being shaped at its forward end to lie flat between the greattoe and the next, and bands to hold the ends of the bar to the instepand the great toe respectively and to tend to force the inner end downthe outer slope of the instep, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of a subscribing witness.

FREDERICK THOMAS TANNER.

Witness:

H. T. P. GEE.

